


My Little Nightingale

by JungTaco



Series: The Magic in Your Soul [1]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Deer Luhan, Elf Sehun, Fantasy, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-25
Updated: 2016-01-25
Packaged: 2018-05-16 06:20:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5817406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JungTaco/pseuds/JungTaco





	My Little Nightingale

In that peaceful evening, when the warm sun was glazing each and every leaf and petal of the Forest with its yellows and reds, Sehun thought that nothing could interfere with his thoughts. It was a warm night, at the beginning of fall, with not the weakest gust of wind to cradle his brown hair, that was framing his pale, forever young face and that was letting his pointy ears still be seen. His black eyes were lifeless as they were watching the cobweb with which his fingers were playing unknowingly. Translucent beads of liquid lingered on it like precious pearls, and the caressing light gave them a magical feeling. Sehun had destroyed the little spider’s house unintentionally while fiddling with his fingers in the still green foliage. He had a very kind soul, always thinking about the smallest creatures that surrounded him, so he would be forgiven without a doubt.

Sehun was resting on a branch of the tree that was strong enough to sustain his weight, looking at the spider web, but not actually seeing anything, while thoughts about the past, perhaps, were wandering in his head. Painful memories were lingering in the elf’s mind, but the pain was washed away by the wonderful medicine called time. The scars didn’t hurt anymore, but they were still there, visible only to their possessor.

His hearing was suddenly attracted by a rustling in the leaves beneath him. It didn’t wake him from this daydreaming completely at first, but a frail voice, which let out a small moan made him look down. There, Sehun could see a beautiful creature, that was barely standing, propping itself against the tree, breathing heavily. Sehun moved a little in order to see a being with deer horns attached to its scalp, that was adorned with shiny, honey-colored hair. Some flowers and leaves were clung to his horns, as if he would have hurried through the Forest, to escape from something perhaps. The boy looked up and saw Sehun. His first reaction was to ask for help:

“Can you… please…?”

That moment, Sehun’s eyes widened in surprise. He felt the urge to look around him to make sure the little creature was speaking to him, but he was sure no one else was around. He made a move in order to climb down from the tree and he jumped, making a perfect landing on his feet.

“Can you see me?” he asked, then he saw that the boy’s ankle was injured. A crimson trail of liquid was leaking from his wound. He didn’t wait for the answer anymore, as he wanted to offer him his help. “What happened to you?” he asked as he lifted him bridal style.

“It was a bear… I ran too slow.” he answered in a weak, sweet voice, not daring to look Sehun in the eye.

The elf took the deer creature to his cave, put him down and took a closer look at his wound. The bright red trail of blood lasted from his ankle to somewhere under his knee and it was pretty deep. Sehun took a small clay container from a corner of the cave and went outside for a few moments, then came back with it filled with fresh water, with which he cleaned the boy’s wound.

The creature flinched when the cold substance came in contact with his leg. The blood washed away by the water contrasted with his beautiful, white skin, like the blood dropped on snow when Snow-White’s mother hurt herself at the beginning of the story. As he was cleaning him, Sehun asked:

“What’s your name?”

“Luhan.” the boy answered, clenching his teeth because of the pain. For the first time, Sehun looked at his face properly and he was mesmerized by his doe, chocolate-brown eyes, light reflected in them beautifully because they were teary. Luhan looked like a 17-year-old human boy, the only things that distinguished him from humans being his horns and pointy ears. But appearances were usually deceitful. He was probably older.

“What a nice name.” Sehun smiled and turned his look back at his ankle. “It’s now cleaned up.” he whispered more to himself than to Luhan after some time.

“Ah, thank you.”

Without saying anything, the elf’s delicate fingers ran across the wound slowly, and the pain stopped as a white-yellowish, weak light ran down his leg together with Sehun’s fingertips. The deer creature’s mouth dropped open at the sight. He had heard about the powers of elves, but had never seen it with his own eyes before. It didn’t last much.

“I can’t heal it completely, I’m sorry.” Sehun told him with a bit of regret in his tone. “I do not possess healing powers; I can do just this much.”

“It’s alright. Thank you for doing this.” Luhan said gratefully, with lively eyes.

Sehun now looked at him with happy eyes, completely different from how they were earlier, empty and lifeless. They stayed like that for some time, without saying a word.

“What is it?...” Luhan finally broke the peaceful silence that had fallen.

“You can see me…” the elf stated, smiling. “That… I missed that feeling.” A gentle gust of wind cradled their locks at Sehun’s excitement. He could control wind and when he was happy or sad, he liked to feel it against his skin. It intensified the feeling or it calmed it down. “I’m so glad, little creature.”

“Why? I don’t get it.” His eyes were big and curious like a child’s.

“Don’t you know? Only people with clean souls can see me, and there are not many nowadays. That’s why I’m happy.” the elf said as he looked into his eyes and caressed his cheek. “Even though you’ll leave me someday soon.” he laughed and Luhan didn’t know what to say. “But you’ll have to remain here for now, until your wound heals.”

“Can I?”

“What kind of question is that, little spirit?” Sehun laughed again.

Luhan could actually leave the next day if he really wanted to. Although his ankle would still hurt, it wasn’t necessary for him to stay with the kind elf, but he still wanted to. The deer felt thankful and seeing him happy because of him was even more of the reason to remain by his side for some more time. Moreover, the elf seemed very friendly and Luhan wanted to get to know him better.

“How old are you?” Sehun asked.

“I’m 30. How about you?”

“Ah, quite young.” The last rays of the day were painting their long shadows on the ground and were reflecting in their eyes. “It’s enough to say that I’m old. It’s good I don’t have wrinkles like humans.” Sehun giggled thankfully.

“I kind of felt it. Your eyes seem wise.” Indeed, Sehun’s eyes hid much wisdom and knowledge. He came to know this knowledge thanks to a human, but since then, he’s never come in contact with one again.

“It may be, but I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Sehun.”

“Nice too meet you.” Luhan said and smiled from the bottom of his heart.

“Your voice sounds as beautiful as the song of a nightingale.” the elf remarked this from the first time the boy spoke, but it was now that he got to tell it to him. Luhan blushed; it was the first time that someone had said something as nice as that about him.

“T-thank you.” he said, avoiding Sehun’s eyes.

“The sun is setting. Shouldn’t you go to sleep, little nightingale?” Luhan’s cheeks became even redder being called by that name.

“Yeah…”

“I bet it’s been a tiring day. Sweet dreams.” the elf said softly as the younger nuzzled on the ground, eyes still open, peeking at Sehun. The older lifted his hand and a soft light, the same as earlier when he cleaned his wound, traveled his index finger from the base to its tip and when it reached the end, it took the form of a small butterfly. The little being, which was not really alive, fluttered its wings and flew towards a surprised Luhan. The deer extended his index finger, and the winged one sat on it. He didn’t feel anything, he was just able to see him, since after all he was just light.

The boy fell asleep with a smile painted on his face, and he had indeed had sweet dreams, about the benevolent elf that he liked so much.

Sehun went outside for a while. He watched the day leaving its role of watching over the Earth to the night. The air turned chilly and wind began to blow, not because of Sehun, but because of the Nature itself. He looked at the silver full Moon that visited him again that night. For a few good years, it had been his only friend, the only one which he could bask in his feelings, because no one else could listen to them; he just poured them on the gentle, celestial orb.

***

The first drops of light caressed his face, waking Sehun up from a deep sleep. He got up and slowly lifted his eyelids, letting his eyes get used to the light. He looked towards the place where he knew Luhan was sleeping, but didn’t see anybody there. Disappointed, but not shocked, he thought that everything was a dream, just his heart craving for a friend. His eyes saddened for a moment, but then he shook his head.

“No, no, that can’t be. He must be outside.”

He stood up on his feet, then went out of the cave and looked around. No one was in sight.

“Were you really just a dream…?” he whispered to himself.

The elf slowly walked to the river nearby. When he approached the bank, he found the boy there, washing his face. Relieved and sure that it was all real, he made a step backwards and hid in the emerald foliage, the dew softly touching his skin and giving him a sense of coolness and calm.

Sehun watched the young boy silently. The way the silver droplets were sliding off his skin seemed so beautiful and graceful. He was in the water, that barely reached his ankles, and his side was facing him, so he could see his meek, warm look, his slightly pink cheeks and the wet locks of hair that were framing his perfect-featured face, with a straight nose and pink lips. That boy gave a magical feel to everything that surrounded him. All seemed to be brighter and more gentle.

With the corner of his eye, Luhan noticed Sehun’s presence and looked in his direction, while his cheeks became hot again. The elf came forward from behind the cover of leaves.

“Good morning, my little nightingale. Did you sleep well?”

Luhan nodded and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he stepped out of the fresh water. His lovable glance captured Sehun’s, who now didn’t want to look away from him – or couldn’t. Luhan thought that it would be embarrassing for the elf to know that he had appeared in his dreams, and even if he felt the urge to let him know, he kept quite.

“How about you?”

“I’ve slept well. Does it still hurt?”

“Yeah. Less than yesterday though.”

“You will be fine in no time.” he gave him a reassuring smile. “Now tell me how you’ve arrived here.” the elf inquired because him, too, wanted to get to know Luhan better and become friends.

“I got bored home and left. I don’t know what I was looking for, but I’m actually happy I did so… in spite of this wound I got.” the boy spoke as he came closer to the other.

“Is someone waiting for you there?”

“No. I’m alone.” A shade of regret lingered in his words because after he would leave Sehun, he would be alone again. Then he asked himself why he should leave him. Should he remain by his side?

“So, there’s no hurry. I see.” Sehun was kind of relieved thanks to the little deer’s answer, and he felt bad about this. At this moment, even though they had barely met, they felt a kind of trust that made them not want to let go of each other. Even so, neither said a word. It was almost natural.

That day spent together passed pretty quickly; since it was autumn the day had become shorter. But that was not the only reason. When they were alone, even the shortest day passed very slowly. Now that they were together, enjoying each other’s presence made the time slip without them knowing it.

They had stayed outside all day long. At the sunset, they returned to the cave.

“I suddenly remembered about a story… which a precious friend had told me about a long time ago.”

“A story? What kind of story?”

“A very sad one. _The Nightingale and The Rose_ is the name and it was written by a man named Oscar Wilde, if I remember correctly. But I don’t think you like sad thing, little spirit.” Sehun smiled fondly.

“I’m curious, please tell me.” Luhan pleaded and Sehun ruffled his golden hair, laughing.

“Alright, I'll tell you. It is about a boy who loved a girl. A ball was coming, and the girl told him that she would dance with him only if he brought her a red rose. He didn’t find one at first though… The kind nightingale wanted to help him, so it searched for a red rose. One of the rose trees told it that there was only one way to obtain one…”

He made a short pause.

“What was it?” Luhan asked in a faint voice.

“For the bird to sing its last song all night… while making the rose red with its own blood, impaling itself in a thorn.”

The boy’s eyes saddened as if the story was real.

“…and the nightingale did that, right?” Sehun nodded.

“For the sake of love, it sacrificed itself. But it was in vain, because the next morning, when the boy gave her the rose… she said that she would go with someone else, who was richer than him. Then, the boy said he would just return to his studies and forget about the thing called love.”

“It’s… so sad… The nightingale died for nothing.”

“Yeah… but enough of that.” the elf smiled and patted the deer’s head. “You don’t want to have sad dreams right?”

“Why was the writer so cruel?”

“Usually they are cruel… to teach people a lesson, without being needed for them to actually make those mistakes.”

That night, Luhan dreamt a different ending to the story. He dreamt that the girl danced with the boy and fell in love with him. Later, the girl also found out that their love bloomed thanks to the nightingale’s sacrifice.

***

Days passed peacefully as they were together. Every evening, Sehun told his little nightingale a story, exactly like that friend did with him when he visited him, slowly teaching him about our world.

“I kind of feel like Scheherazade right now.” he told Luhan, giving a little laugh.

“Who?”

“She’s a character from a story called _Arabian Nights._ She was the wife of a king, who married her, but was going to execute her the next morning because he lost his trust in women. But he kept postponing the execution, because every night, the woman started telling him a story, but she wouldn’t get to the end in the same night. So, the king was kept curious every time and didn’t kill her.”

“Oh, I see. But I don’t want to kill you.” he giggled.

“I’m glad. I don’t want to keep you in cliffhanger… not too much at least.”

A little, white butterfly flew in the cave, attracting Luhan’s attention. It fluttered its wings a few times through the cave, then got out.

“I wonder why he came in.” Sehun laughed. “There are no flowers here, nothing to attract him.”

“Maybe it was you.” Luhan whispered as he hugged his knees. “Maybe he… has a crush on you. Even though there are no colors and scents, maybe he saw you.” he said this quietly, avoiding the elf’s eyes.

“What are you saying, little nightingale?” Sehun was amused by the younger’s assumption, but he found it pretty cute.

“Do you think so?’

“I don’t know… It may be so…”

Luhan blushed when Sehun approached him and ruffled his hair. Then, he remembered that butterfly that the elf showed to him on the day they met, before he went to sleep. He wanted to see it again, but when he wanted to tell him, he felt a shyness that stopped him. He felt like a child and he didn’t want to behave like one. Sehun noticed that Luhan opened his mouth to say something, but stopped suddenly.

As if he guessed his mind, he did the same “trick” as in that sunset. A small, light butterfly attracted Luhan’s sight, as he gaped in surprise. _I didn’t say anything out loud, did I? Or can he read minds too?_ Like that time, he extended his index finger and the butterfly, after he hovered around him for a while, sat there.

“I can’t read minds.” Sehun laughed. “But I just thought you wanted this.”

_You really can’t?_

“This reminded me of a story.” When he heard his words, the little deer’s eyes lightened up a little bit more, because he indeed loved those stories. “It was night and I was near a lake that is pretty close to this place. It was summer and I was sitting there, looking at the fireflies.”

The boy’s eyes widened when he heard the first person narration. Until now, all of his stories were said in third person, but now it seemed it was really about him.

“Is this story about you this time?”

“Yes. As I was saying, I was looking at the fireflies, which were calling for their mates above the lake. Suddenly, I felt a presence near me. I looked to my right and there stood a little girl, doing the same thing as me, watching the little insects. I watched her for a while, then looked back at the lake. I didn’t bother too much at first, guessing that she wouldn’t see me. Then I heard her voice. _Aren’t they beautiful?_ she asked. I thought that she was talking to herself, but when I turned my head towards her again, she was looking at me. Then I realized she could actually see me and, like the moment I found out _you_ could see me, I was very happy. I nodded as an answer to her question. _Can you make them come closer, Mr. elf?_ she asked innocently, with gentle eyes that seemed a little sad. I smiled and extended my hand, and a few fireflies flew closer to my fingers. In an instant, her figure became so much happier just with that little thing… _You really have magical powers, Mr. Elf,_ she told me. _Your girlfriend must be really happy._ I replied, _Yeah, she is…_ Well... That’s the whole story. After she went away I never saw her again. Pretty boring, isn’t it? Sorry. For me it’s important, because I have lived it, but for others… I don’t know.” Sehun smiled sheepishly.

“I don’t find it boring. I find it sweet… that you helped the little girl a little somehow.” Luhan smiled as he was watching the unreal buttery flutter its wings gently on his finger. “And if it’s important to you, it’s certainly not boring. That’s what makes it interesting, at least for me… So if you have more stories like this, you can tell me. I’ll listen to whatever you say.” The boy said blushing a little, because he wasn’t used to say that kind of words. Sehun’s eyes brightened up.

“Thank you, little deer.” They looked into each other’s eyes for a few seconds, basking in each other’s feelings, even though maybe they didn’t understand them fully, especially the younger.

“They aren’t there now, are they? The fireflies.”

“I don’t think so. But let’s go there tomorrow. Now the sky is overcast and I smell rain in the air.” During the time Sehun was telling him this, the sky lightened up for a brief second, then, after he finished the sentence, a thunder resounded through the Forest, startling the little deer.

“Are you afraid of thunder, my little nightingale?”

“No.” Luhan answered, flushed.

“Let’s go to sleep.” As he said that, he came closer to Luhan, who instinctively warded off a little out of a timidity he didn’t even know he had. Eventually, the two nuzzled together, Luhan’s back turned towards Sehun, who was between the little deer and the outside, where rain was now pouring down.

Luhan barely fell asleep that night, because his spirit felt kind of agitated; he was nervous and his heart was beating unusually fast. He wanted to look back, at the elf’s sleeping face, but he was too afraid he would wake him up or he wasn’t yet asleep.

***

The next day, the scent of rain still remained in the air, but the sky was clear and it was pretty warm. The two friends were near the river bank together. The cold, crystal water was running rapidly, giving them a fresh sensation, since their legs were dipped in the translucent liquid.

“Shall we go to the lake tonight?” Sehun asked just for the sake of talking to his little deer, because the answer was obvious.

“Yeah, let’s go.” Luhan answered with a wide smile, cheerfully. That day he felt happy and lively ever since he woke up to the warm rays of light, without any specific reason, or so he thought.

“You’re pretty happy today I see.” Sehun smiled, ruffling his hair. It had already become a habit, and Luhan always blushed. The elf began to like that.

A pleasant silence fell upon them. Luhan couldn’t help but take quick looks to his side to see Sehun from time to time. The latter realized this right away, but pretended not to notice and he would also look at him from time to time when the little deer was not paying attention. These actions seemed like a game, each not wanting the other to discover the loving looks.

Something was bothering Luhan and he decided to let it out, even though he was a little afraid his heart would be discovered.

“Is it… alright to love someone of the same gender?”

Sehun glanced at him surprised by the sudden question.

“Of course it’s alright.” he smiled kindly. “You know, my first love was like that.”

The little deer was surprised too and also intrigued. He wanted to know more about Sehun’s past, about his love, about his lover.

“Really?” he said, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask anything more. “I’ve heard that it’s not ok…. that you can’t mate with them. But if you say it’s alright, then it must be.”

“Mate? No.” the older laughed. “You can mate… but I don’t like this word. I prefer the human’s way of saying it… making love. The thing you can’t do is have children. But it’s not like you can choose whether you like someone of the same gender as you.” this time, he smiled, but his sad, brown eyes contrasted with his mouth. Luhan was wondering what had happened before. He was just staring at him, now without realizing that Sehun could still see him. The little deer was just looking into his eyes, and the only thing he could do was trying to guess what they were hiding.

He didn’t realize what was really happening when the elf leaned closer to him. He only woke up to reality when he felt a warmth on his lips, a warmth that reached his entire body; it was Sehun’s mouth, who was now kissing him softly. Luhan shyly closed his eyes, while Sehun’s were open, looking at him fondly. After they separated from the kiss, Luhan could neither utter a word nor look him in the eye again. He felt his cheeks and chest warm, filled with happiness. Now Luhan was a hundred percent sure that he was in love with the elf. But what did that kiss mean? Did Sehun love him back? Or was he just teasing him?

Sehun was looking at him, wanting to see his reaction and he felt like hugging him. He intended to do so, but in the moment when he came closer, a rustling in the woods was heard, behind them. The two looked in that direction and some voices could be heard. They were young voices of some boys.

“Humans.” Sehun stated calmly. “Let’s hide, my little deer.” He rose from his spot soundlessly and motioned for the younger to follow him. They hid behind the foliage and waited a little in order to see the boys.

“Why aren’t we leaving?” Luhan mustered his courage and said.

“You’d never seen humans, have you? This is your chance. They’re not much different from us appearance-wise."

After a few seconds, three boys appeared in front of them from behind some trees. Hiding behind a tree also, Sehun peeked at them and his heart skipped a beat when he saw the boy who was leading them: slightly dark skin, brown eyes, full lips and dark hair. It was the spitting image of _him_. His first love. The elf kept staring at him, his heart beating louder and louder, even though he knew he wasn’t the same person, because it was impossible.

Luhan looked at them too, but his eyes quickly fell on Sehun again, who didn’t know the little deer creature was watching him. He saw that he was looking continuously at that boy and he didn’t know why, but he felt an uneasy feeling burdening his chest. He looked from Sehun to the boy and vice versa and he still couldn’t realize the reason behind those actions. He didn’t dare ask him what was going on in his heart. He just questioned himself all in vain.

“Jongin-ah, shall we stop here? My feet hurt.” one of the other boys whined, calling the leader by his name.

“Even the same name…” Sehun whispered to himself, and Luhan heard it. From just a few words, a whole scenario formed in his mind. He thought it was all linked to what Sehun told him earlier about his first love, and he was completely right. The little deer’s eyes suddenly saddened. _Does he still have feelings for that person? What if… they come to life again? Does he resemble him so much?_

“Ok, we will camp here.” Jongin stated, inspecting the surroundings. Suddenly his eyes stopped on a specific spot, but he himself didn’t know why. His eyes stopped on the place Sehun was standing, whose eyes were still glued to him.

 _Can he see me?_ The elf was startled. Jongin kept his serious glance over there for a few seconds _._ He couldn’t actually see him, but he felt something was there. He brushed this thought off quickly, thinking he was just imagining things, then he directed his attention to his friends.

Sehun didn’t know though if Jongin could see him, but his heart began to ache again. Those painful memories were brought back to life. His scars hurt again.

***

_The warmth of the new day woke Sehun up from a very sweet sleep. He woke up to the touches of fresh dew on the grass he had slept on. His fingers brushed to it, wanting to feel the pleasant sensation of something soft against his skin. Memories of last night suddenly came back to him. It was the night that he would never forget because of that dark-haired boy. He smiled as he remembered and he blushed as he looked towards his right to find a sleeping Jongin. The orange rays were falling graciously on his bare body, making him look almost like a painting, a very beautiful one._

_The elf kept watching him until he slowly fluttered his eyelashes and woke up. A smile appeared on Sehun’s face, since he wanted to wish him a happy “good morning”. Jongin opened his eyes and raised in a sitting position, without a word, without responding to Sehun’s words. He looked around blankly for a while, and the elf was confused about why he didn’t say anything to him. The boy finally said something:_

_“Where did he go?”_

_“Who are you talking about?” Sehun asked, becoming more and more confused, sitting up. “Jongin… What’s wrong?”_

_The boy showed no reactions to him calling his name. He just looked around one more time._

_“Jongin… You are not talking about me right?...” Sehun felt desperation and panic taking over his body. His heart was beating like crazy and he was scared. “Jongin, look at me. Is this some thing that you humans call joke? It’s not amusing.” he said, his voice cracking at the end of the sentence. “Jongin, what’s going on? Jongin… Jongin…” he kept calling out his name, in hopes he would react._

_“He told me I would find him right next to me this morning…” the boy whispered to himself. This was no joke. He couldn’t see Sehun anymore._

_“No… This can’t be true…” Sehun said on the verge of crying. He extended his hand desperately, reaching for him. He touched his face, but Jongin couldn’t even feel him. He caressed his cheek, but it was all in vain. Tears were now endlessly dripping on the emerald grass, blending with the dew of the morning. A wrenching pain was stinging his heart and it felt like a hundred needles were being slowly impaled in his chest, all at the same time._

***

It was now evening and Sehun was in his cave, together with Luhan. They were sitting in front of each other, while the warm colors of the sunset were seeping inside, polishing the walls in pleasant colors, at which none of them could pay attention.

Sehun was deep in thought, that memory not giving him peace. He was staying in a Turkish position, staring outside, trying to hide his pain from Luhan, but that thing was impossible. It was obviously present in his eyes.

The little deer remembered they had to go to the lake tonight, but didn’t say a word about it. He didn’t care about that anymore, he just wanted to somehow help Sehun. He was looking at him, hugging his knees and feeling useless. He looked so hurt, but he couldn’t do anything, or so he thought.

 _How can I make you forget?_...

Something came to his mind… but as soon as he thought about it, Luhan blushed again and looked away from the elf, afraid that he would guess his mind once more.

 _No way he’s thinking about what’s in my mind right now._  He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. However, he managed to brush away his embarrassment, at least enough to take some action. He slowly came closer to Sehun, not entirely sure if he should do what he wanted. The older didn’t seem to even notice him.

The little deer gently placed his hands on the other’s knees and leaned closer. It seemed like just then the elf noticed his presence so close to him. Luhan brought his mouth in front of the other’s and kissed it, his lips moving gently. Sehun was a little startled, but he quickly came to his senses. The eyes of the both of them were half-open and they were fondly looking at each other while kissing, their hearts beating equally fast.

With that single action, Luhan wanted to express the feelings he couldn’t put into words. _Please, don’t be sad. Please, forget the painful memories. Please, forget him. Please, love me._

Sehun’s hand traveled gently on the younger’s shoulder towards his golden, soft hair, leaving behind a pleasant sensation on his pale skin.

“Are you alright, my little nightingale?” he asked after the kiss broke apart, seeing the sadness in those doe eyes.

“I’m… fine. Why wouldn’t I be? You’re the one suffering.” he answered in a soft, quite voice, that resounded in the cave and in Sehun’s ear so sweetly.

“Thank you.” he simply said after that and he took him in his arms. They fell asleep like that.

***

Luhan woke up to the cold feeling of stone underneath him, not the feeling of a warm body, how it was when he fell asleep.

“Where are you?...” he whispered sitting up, his eyes still closed. “…Sehun” he whispered that name, his eyelids lifting slowly. Sehun was not there. He got up and went out of the cave to look for him. He was kind of scared. No one was in sight.

 _Maybe he’s… watching him again… Should I go after him?_ A part of him thought he shouldn’t go, but he couldn’t stop his feet from going in the direction of the river where the boys were camping. He walked a little and he felt a strange sensation. He didn’t know what it could be, but it was something he’d never felt before. Luhan propped his hand against the bark of a tree. At the same moment, that sensation intensified and became terrifying. It wasn’t something ordinary, that he could see, hear, touch, smell or taste… It was something else, which cannot really be explained.

He couldn’t hear anything, but he was getting a message. Through what ways he didn’t know, but it was coming from… the trees. The Forest itself was telling him something. A cold sweat dripped on his forehead. That message wasn’t one consisting in words, but feelings. He felt… useless. Even burdensome.

The little deer somehow knew that his love was with the human boy. He knew that that old love came to life, even if it wasn’t the same person; it was maybe the same soul, a reincarnation. He was worthless. He was a burden. If he came closer to Sehun, he would make him suffer. He should just vanish. Those were the feelings inflicted in his soul by the Forest who loved Sehun dearly and wanted to protect him.

Also, Luhan wanted to protect him. Those things inserted inside him with a syringe like an extremely painful injection were hard to take, hard to believe. But they seemed so real.. He fell down on his knees and stayed like that. He tried to accept them. It was painful, but he wanted the best for Sehun. The little deer decided to sacrifice himself for the elf’s love, like the nightingale in the story.

The Forest guided him through the prosperous vegetation, that was beginning to wither. It led him to a cliff.

Luhan looked down and tears began to flow without him knowing. In a jiffy, he recalled all the stories that the elf had told him;  all the tales and his own story too came to mind. He then realized that the story he wanted to know the most remained unknown and would stay like that forever for him.

“I’m so happy I met you.” he said between salty tears and sobs.

***

 _I should… go back to the little nightingale. He must have woken up._ Sehun thought, gazing from behind the tree at Jongin. He didn’t find out if the previous day he was really able to see him, but he didn’t want to approach him more than that. Looking was enough. The elf sighed and returned to his home, but Luhan was nowhere to be found. Sehun didn’t know where to look for him, but he could ask for help.

He stood outside the cave without making a move, his feelings and questions being absorbed by the group of beings called Forest. They were his friends and they knew every move someone made on those territories. No answer. They “said” they didn’t know.

“That’s impossible.” Sehun became really angry. For the first time, he was angry at those friends, because indeed, they were lying. “Show me where he is!” The elf panicked, because if the Forest didn’t want to cooperate it meant that there was something really bad going on. It cried and it cried, because the Forest wanted the best for him. Sehun knew it, but he was worried about his little nightingale. He shouted again “Lead me to him!”

This time, it complied. The Forest seemed to be wailing, but the elf didn’t care. He was dead worried for Luhan. Those friends even tried to mislead him a few times, but he couldn’t be fooled. He found the place. Luhan was there, his back facing him. He was nuzzled on that cliff, his shoulders shivering as if he was crying. The bright light just in front of them hindered Sehun from seeing clearly, but it was surely Luhan. He hurried to him.

“My deer! What are you doing here?” he kneeled beside him and hugged him tightly. “Why have you disappeared? I was so worried…”

The little deer couldn’t stop the tears. Between sobs, he told him:

“I’m sorry… I don’t want to be a burden… I don’t want to hinder your love… I’m sorry I appeared in your life.”

“So that’s what it told you… My little nightingale… none of that is true. You have no idea how glad I am you appeared in my life. I told you, remember? I no longer feel lonely when I’m with you. And I don’t have any love you could hinder. My only love is you.”

Those words lifted a heavy burden off Luhan’s soul. They did more than that, they gave him wings. It was all lies and he was a fool to believe all that.

“My little nightingale, I’m sorry. I forgot we had to go to the lake. Forgive me.”

The little deer then hugged him back tightly. His crying still couldn’t be stopped. This time he was happy. He was so happy he was afraid it was all a dream. All of those things seemed so unreal he wanted to feel Sehun close to him, to cling to him to know it’s all true.

***

That night, the two went to the promised place, to the lake. The autumn air had become chillier and it was obvious there wouldn’t be any fireflies, but they still went. The bright, full Moon was guarding over them from the pitch black sky. Only a few stars glistened on the velvet fabric above their heads.

The two of them laid on the soft grass without saying a word. Silence was enough at that time. They looked at the lady dressed in silver attires holding hands. The whole scenery was quite and peaceful. Everything was perfect and nothing seemed to be able to spoil that atmosphere.

“Too bad…” Sehun said after a while. “You can see such few stars on the night sky nowadays. This is what humans did to this planet.”

Luhan looked at him curiously. Now he wondered how the sky looked back then, when Sehun could see the black, velvet material studded with so many flickering lights. He sighed and the elf heard him.

“Maybe I can show it to you somehow.”

Luhan’s eyes lightened up. He didn’t know what Sehun was up to, but he was eager to see it.  The older stretched his arm and his right hand was now up in the air, above them. Small, weak lights started glittering on his fingers and palm. He slowly moved his hand to the right, those miniature stars remaining behind like he was painting them on the night sky. It was so beautiful that Luhan gaped and forgot to breathe for a few seconds.

“That’s a glimpse of how it used to be, my little nightingale.”

“So beautiful…” was all he could mutter and that made Sehun smile. A moment later, the stars disappeared, leaving behind the almost completely dark sky.

A peaceful, calming silence fell once more. They were just holding hands, staring into the enormous, unknown Universe above their heads.

The little deer turned towards Sehun and, after pondering his request for a while, he said timidly:

“S-Sehun… Let’s make love.”

The elf’s eyes became wider and he panicked. All those thoughts suddenly came back to him. He couldn’t answer immediately. He didn’t even know what to say.

“My deer… Luhan…” It was the first time that Sehun called him by his name and that made the younger become nervous. “Truthfully… I’m afraid.”

“Why? You told me it’s alright.” The little deer creature was now looking at the other with confused, hurt eyes.

“Shall I… tell you what happened with my first love?”

Luhan was now afraid as well, afraid to know his past. But it was still his wish to find out about it.

“Yeah.”

“He couldn’t see me anymore… after we made love for the first and only time.”

Luhan was shocked and scared now. What if it happened again? He desperately wanted to be with Sehun, but could he do that if that was to happen again?

“B-but… are you sure… it will happen again?”

“Of course I’m not… but I’m afraid to lose you…” He held his love’s hand tighter.

“But still…” the younger tried to protest, throwing aside his fear, or at least attempting to. “I… want to know what it feels like… making love with you. I… don’t think it will happen again… maybe because he was human…”

“I don’t know… but I love you too much, my little nightingale. Please, don’t make me do that.”

After a pause, Luhan said again, more resolute than before:

“It won’t happen. I promise!”

“But it doesn’t depend on you.”

“It does. It regards the purity of my soul, right? I can guarantee it will remain the same. Nothing will change. So…”

Sehun turned on the cold grass towards him and hugged him tightly. Not separating from him, he whispered in his ear after a few more seconds:

“…If what you say is true… and you really want that, I’ll do it.” Those words made Luhan happy, but also very nervous. “But it will hurt at the beginning.”

“I understand. I won’t complain.” he said in a soft voice as he felt the other’s hands travel down his bare body, reaching his hips. Sehun’s hands were warm.

The elf turned Luhan on his back again and the next second, the boy could feel the warmth of his body onto him. Sehun bent over in order to engage his lips in a kiss sweeter than honey. His hands slowly slid towards Luhan’s lower body, making him feel strangely good.

Sehun tried to be as gentle as he could. The kiss never stopped while their bodies were becoming warmer and warmer together. A painful sensation invaded Luhan, who didn’t really know what to expect.

When their lips got separated for a little while, because the two needed to breathe a little more, Luhan could see those little stars again in thin traces that were keeping their mouths connected.

That night they felt each other’s warmth more that anytime before and they felt closer than they ever were. For a few minutes, they got to know how their bodies felt as one. They held each other as close as possible, neither of them willing to let go and they fell in a gentle sleep holding one another.

***

The next morning, Luhan woke up to a gentle gust of wind that cradled his hair. He opened his eyes and sat up, then slowly gazed at his side, but… he could see no one there. His eyes widened and his heart started to beat faster as he began to panic.

“No way… He’s not here… I hope he’s somewhere nearby…” he encouraged himself that the thing which had happened then didn’t happen again. He really felt like crying.

“What’s wrong, my little nightingale?” a voice was heard behind him, a very dear voice, and he quickly looked there. There he stood, Sehun, looking at him with a bright smile, brighter than anytime before. Luhan stood up, ran to him and hugged him tightly, relieved that he could still feel him there, in his arms, see his smiling face and hear his soft voice.


End file.
